April 2012
35 posts
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Witness says man wounded by unexploded cluster... →
NEW DELHI — A Sri Lankan man was wounded in the final months of the country’s bloody civil war by an unexploded cluster bomblet that tore into his leg and buried itself in the gash, a medical worker who saw the injury told The Associated Press on Friday.
The revelation, along with a photograph that purports to show the wound, added further credence to accusations cluster munitions had been used...
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CISR partner ACTV instrumental in passing... →
Parliament passes law to criminalize torture
Parliament yesterday passed a law that spelt out the punishment for torture – 15 years imprisonment or a fine of Shs 7.2m upon conviction. The new law comes out of “The Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Bill, 2010”, which was tabled by Ndorwa East MP, Wilfred Niwagaba (NRM).
It is intended to define and criminalize torture, and provide for...
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VIDEO—Surviving the Peace →
The impact of war isn’t limited to just landmines. Explosive remnants of war (ERW) cause fear, insecurity, and physical harm to countless numbers of people throughout the world. “Surviving the Peace” is a film about the impact of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Laos decades after the war ended that put them there.
Please watch this film and share with others. Now is the time to take action.
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VIDEO—Uganda: The Challenge of Forgiveness →
In dealing with the aftermath of war crimes by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), many people of Uganda are choosing a path of reconciliation as they welcome back child soldiers and LRA officers into their villages. “Uganda: The Challenge of Forgiveness” chronicles religious leaders, elders, and parents who are exercising remarkable leadership and courage in choosing to...
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IED—Medic rewarded for his actions in IED attack →
U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Johnson joined the military later in life than many of his colleagues in the armed forces.
Few people can say that on any given day, they may be putting themselves in the line of fire to save the lives of others. For former Brighton resident Christopher Johnson, on the other hand, it’s something of an occupational hazard.
That’s exactly what it was Nov. 7...
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IED—Sergeant Rex is Marine’s best friend →
German shepherd in Iraq reunited with soldier
Sen. Chuck Schumer has helped reunite explosives-sniffer dog German shepherd Sergeant Rex with a former Marine. Anthony Lanzilote for New York Daily News.
IT WAS a dog’s life for Sergeant Rex in Iraq, where he did two tours of duty working to uncover roadside explosives.
But the 11-year-old German shepherd and his former comrade,...
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ERW—UXO and health concerns in Mali →
A Malian family who fled unrest in the northeastern city Gao waits for transport after arriving by bus in the capital Bamako April 11, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney
DAKAR (AlertNet) – The only functioning hospital in the rebel-held northern Malian town of Timbuktu is running out of medical supplies and urgently needs restocking so doctors can save lives, the head of a medical charity operating...
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WHAT'S NEW—“Power in numbers”: More countries to... →
CMC Director Laura Cheeseman presents at the Intersessional Meeting in Geneva. Photo credit: CMC
(Geneva, 16 April 2012) This week’s meeting to discuss worldwide progress on the ban on cluster munitions began today, with promising news that several countries will soon ratify the ban treaty.
During today’s discussions on the universalisation of the Convention, Australia, Canada, Chad,...
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VICTIM ASSISTANCE—Workplace team-building helps... →
(Photo courtesy Healing Hands project)
Did you know there’s around 2,000 landmine accidents a month in around 60 countries and that 20 percent of the 300,000 landmine amputees around the world are children? So what’s the connection then between land mines and workplace team building exercises in Australia? A new project has been launched called “Helping Hands” and in...
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U.S. Department of State: Burundi Takes on Marking... →
statedept:
About the Author: Katie Smith serves as an Assistant Program Manager in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
In November 2011, the government of Burundi reached a major milestone in its recovery from decades of civil war with the…
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IED—Soldiers use virtual technology to prepare for... →
FORT RILEY, Kan. (April 11, 2012) — As current and future enemies attempt to adapt to the Army’s tactics, techniques and procedures down range, counteraction seems to be a critical aspect of the training mission stateside. Soldiers training at Fort Riley have the advantage of one of the Army’s first computer-based mission training complexes. The MTC is integrated with other...
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VICTIM ASSISTANCE—ICBL-CMC launches Survivor... →
Campaigners in the Gambia celebrate the first anniversary of entry into force of the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 1 August 2011. Photo credit: WANEP
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC), through its Survivor Network Project and with specific financial support from the Norwegian government, have launched a request for proposals...
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WHAT'S NEW—Afghan amputees a grim signature of... →
An Afghan landmine victim touches his prosthetic leg at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) orthopaedic rehabilitation centre in Kabul March 16, 2011. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood
KABUL, April 12 (Reuters) - Gently massaging the soft flesh under his knees, 20-year-old Abdul Ahmat recalls the suicide bomb six months ago that destroyed his legs.
The former construction worker, in a...
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WHAT'S NEW—Libya: ICRC continues to respond to... →
The conflict has ended but many humanitarian needs remain.
In recent weeks, the ICRC renewed its agreement with the Libyan authorities for several years, and provided urgent assistance for wounded people following clashes in Sabha and close to the Tunisian border.
Assistance for medical facilities in Zwarra, Jmail and Ragdalin
Clashes broke out on 2 April near the towns of Zwarra and Ragdalin,...
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IEDs—Under US pressure, Pakistan prepares plan to... →
Draft of legal framework to be tabled before Parliament. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD: Under constant pressure from the US over the increasing use of Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) by militants on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border, Pakistani authorities have worked out a strategy to counter the threat.
Draft legislation for the National Strategy to Counter-IED will be soon tabled...
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ERW—Australia a strong supporter of UXO clearance... →
Australian Ambassador to Laos Ms Lynda Worthaisong and UNDP Resident Representative Mr Minh Pham shake hands at a ceremony to mark International UXO/Mine Awareness Day.
The Australian government has contributed a further AU$1 million through the UXO Trust Fund, to support UXO clearance, risk awareness and rehabilitation programmes in Laos.
Australian Ambassador to Laos Ms Lynda Worthaisong...
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ERW—Landmines trigger panic among Al-Hasaba... →
The residents of Al-Hasaba district in downtown Sana’a are afraid to walk the streets of their neighborhood, the scene of fierce battles last year between Saleh’s forces and opposition tribesmen, for fear of stepping on a landmine. Several landmines have already exploded in Al-Hasaba, leaving people maimed.
In May of last year, an armed conflict broke out between security...
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WHAT'S NEW—Kenya, Ethiopia turn to trade to solve... →
A livestock market in Samburu. A similar market at the Kenya-Ethiopia border is helping in conflict resolution. Picture: File
Kenya and Ethiopia are opening up their volatile border to more trade as they seek to improve community relations, ease inter-ethnic tensions to reduce demand for small arms and disrupt one of the main routes of illicit small arms coming into East Africa.
Illicit...
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WHAT'S NEW—UK banks and insurers blacklist cluster... →
Lloyds and Aviva among the major firms invoking ‘stop lists’ to purge cluster munitions companies from their share portfolios
A young victim of an apparent cluster bomb attack in Misrata, Libya in April last year. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images
Four of Britain’s biggest banks and insurance companies have blacklisted a dozen companies that manufacture cluster...
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Bosnia-Herzegovina marks 20th anniversary of war →
Ceremonies in Sarajevo are marking 20 years since the start of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a conflict that saw the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II.
The conflict began in April 1992 as part of the break-up of Yugoslavia.
About 100,000 people were killed and nearly half the population forced from their homes in four years of fighting.
Red chairs fill the street in Sarajevo where...
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Marian Bechtel, 17-year-old musician, inspired by... →
Meet Marian Bechtel. She’s a 17-year-old pianist, scientist, 2012 Intel Talent Search finalist, and passionate anti-war activist. Oh, and a normal high school student in Pennsylvania.
Bechtel invented a low-cost device that can act as a prototype for a new type of mine sweeper. Using sound waves to determine where explosives are located, the device is a standard metal detector equipped...
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Inside Kabul: Landmine survivor aid activist... →
The Clear Path International office in Kabul, Afghanistan
I’ve known of James Hathaway and the NGO he co-founded, Clear Path International, for many years. They do great work to help civilian survivors of landmine blasts, people who now have disabling injuries, live better lives through medical care, education, improved mobility and access, and other forms of support. Clear Path...
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UN Pulse from U.N. Dag Hammarskjöld Library: UNDP... →
un-library:
The UN estimates that more than one million people have been killed or injured by landmines in the past 30 years. Worldwide, the productivity costs associated with landmine and small arms violence have been estimated as high as US$163 billion a year. Although landmine injuries have declined…
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